Checkpoint for Friday 26 June 2009

6:58 PM.The civil rights leader and New York reverend Al Sharpton has been paying tribute to Michael Jackson who died suddenly today. Audio

6:56 PM.The American actress Farrah Fawcett has died from cancer at the age of 62. Audio

6:55 PM.The man who's been trying to broker a compromise between pro-whaling and anti-whaling nations says that whales would be better off without the current global ban on commercial hunting. Audio

6:53 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

6:38 PM.The country's prisons are reaching capacity - with the Corrections Department estimating they will be full by about February next year. Our political reporter, Chris Bramwell, looks at what the… Read more Audio

6:33 PM.An update from the RNZ sports team. Audio

6:28 PM.In the United States thousands of sex offenders are released from prison every year. In some parts of America it's becoming increasingly difficult for them to find a place to live. Audio

6:25 PM.The OECD says the global crisis maybe close to bottoming out and recovery may not be that far away. But this comes just days after the World Bank gloomily forecast the world recession maybe worse than… Read more Audio

6:22 PM.The Prime Minister is rejecting Treasury criticism of the Ministry of Tourism for failing to find cuts to spending. Audio

6:19 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

6:16 PM.Chocolate lovers, environmentalists and health specialists are condemning a recent change in the recipe for Cadbury's chocolate bars. Audio

6:12 PM.Michael Jackson has died in Los Angeles at the age of 50. Our US correspondent Kate Moody looks back at the life of a pop icon. Audio

6:10 PM.Tourism in the Southern Lakes region has been given a major boost today. As tens of thousands of people pour into Queenstown for the annual Winter Festival, John Key, in his role as Tourism Minister… Read more Audio

6:07 PM.Firefighters are still working to remove the bodies of two men crushed by a collapsed house in the Auckland suburb of Manurewa. Audio

5:59 PM.A group of female Italian academics have called on the first ladies of the world's richest nations to boycott next month's G8 summit in Italy. Audio

5:55 PM.New Zealanders are struggling to take care of their money, and it seems its older people who are the most in need of boosting their financial literacy. Audio

5:50 PM.The economy shrank one percent in the March quarter - more than many economists and the Prime Minister were expecting. Audio

5:47 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

5:40 PM.Michael Jackson - what will his legacy be and how much will his musical genius be overshadowed by the bizarre lifestyle and sex scandals ? Audio

5:36 PM.A former colleague of murder-accused Clayton Weatherston has described a man who argued with other staff, enjoyed putting people down, and took credit for others' work. Audio

5:33 PM.An update from the RNZ sports team. Audio

5:27 PM.The French rugby team have shut up shop over false claims made by their star centre, Mathieu Bastearaud, that he was assaulted while in Wellington last weekend. Audio

5:25 PM.Two women have been found dead at a house in the Porirua suburb of Titahi Bay. Audio

5:23 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:19 PM.Some New Zealand fans of Michael Jackson have been left too shaken to talk. Audio

5:12 PM.Michael Jackson - the man dubbed the King of Pop - has died aged 50, after a career spanning more than 40 years. Audio

5:07 PM.Firefighters are this evening trying to remove the bodies of two men crushed by a collapsed house in the Auckland suburb of Manurewa. Audio